Random Things

1. I love movies. I rarely dislike a movie. I can find good in almost everyone. I think it’s because I’m not a film maker.

2. I love books. I often dislike books. I’m exceptionally picky about reading material. I think it’s because I’m a writer.

3. I love country music. And have since I was in high school.

4. When I was young, Eugenia Price was my favorite author. I’m pretty sure this is when my love of the south started. I wanted, in the worst way, to live in Savannah, Georgia.

5. I think Scottish accents are super fantastically hot.

6. I’m fond of drinks with tequila, listening to the wind through trees and being by the water.

7. I went to a reception in the Indian Affairs Room at the US Capitol. There was A LOT of food and drink there. It made me sick to know my tax dollars paid for that. And then I ate another plate of cheese and fruit.

8. I am a news hound. I could watch it nearly 24 hours a day. (This was written a billion years ago. I can’t watch the news since circa 2016 presidential election.)

9. I think The West Wing was the perfect show. Sometimes, I still wish for the days of President Bartlett. I always wish CJ Cregg was the White House Press Secretary. Especially when Gibbs opens his mouth. As a side note, I think Robert Gibbs is the worst White House Press Secretary in the history of ever. This is the one position in the world where the use of the word “uhm” should be immediate cause for firing. In his case, he would’ve been fired on 22 January 2009. He uses it in every press briefing. Constantly.

10. I can quote way too much of Top Gun. It’s sick and wrong.

11. I had a rabbit named Harry. He hated me.

12. Speaking of quoting movies, I can quote the most random pieces of dialogue from movies. And they come out of my mouth at the weirdest times. I can’t help myself.

13. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite novels of all time. This probably explains why I pick men that are a little on the messed up side sometimes. I love Mr. Rochester.

14. I was a nanny at one time. When I see pictures of my nanny kids now, I feel old happy. The eldest graduated from college in 2009.

15. I love cold weather. Love, love, love it.

16. I would rather live in Alaska than Arizona.

17. I love doing laundry. But I hate putting clean clothes away.

18. I love to cook.

19. Fireworks make me happy.

20. I think the DNC Chair is a tool.

21. I think electric stoves are of the devil.

22. I love thunderstorms.

23. I love politics.

24. I think shrimp is totally disgusting. The seafood thingys. Not the people. Short people are fabulous. I’m short. I’m fabulous.

25. Lily of the Valley is one of my favorite flowers.

26. If I get married, I’d love to go to Scotland or Ireland (I’d take Italy too) for a honeymoon instead of some tropical paradise. Yes. I know I’m weird.

27. When I lived in the D.C. area, I often had “celebrity” sightings. But these weren’t real celebrities. These were celebrities for the nerd crowd. Like . . . Fred Barnes came into my favorite Starbucks one morning. And I saw Tony Blankley on multiple occasions. If you don’t know who they are, you’re not a nerd.

28. I am such a nerd, I drove over to the Supreme Court on the night of December 12, 2000. If you don’t know what that was about, you’re not a nerd. I have pictures.

29. I saw Dan Abrams there that night. He was a reporter then. He was rude. I have pictures.

30. I was a nanny for a woman that worked for President George W. Bush & Karl Rove.

31. Living in the D.C. area over the course of about 2 years, confirmed that I love my country and how it runs. I just don’t always like who runs it.

32. I have had many jobs in my thirty some years. Most of them fell into two categories. But I have worked in a million and one different environments (like a classic country radio station, an architect/interior design company, a human rights organization, I volunteered at The White House, worked for the USMC, etc.). All fodder for novels. I have stories. People who have been mean to me should be worried. Haha.

33. Kidding. I kid. Those mean people won’t show up in my novels.

34. My fingers are crossed behind my back right now.

35. I have spoken at General’s staff meetings, family pre-deployment “briefs” and a whole lot of other awesome stuff. Best experience of my life.

36. See above. Also one of the most challenging experience of my life.

37. When I was little, one of the things I really wanted to be when I grew up was a pilot. This could explain why I know too much Top Gun dialogue.

38. I went to the (now closed) Marine Corps Air Station El Toro air show (for my birthday — further proof of my nerdiness) with my cousin and some friends one year. I went to watch the aircraft. My friends? They went to watch the Marines.

39. Google Chrome says that “nerdiness” in #38 is spelled incorrectly. I looked at their suggested spelling. It was neediness. I suppose that could also apply.

40. Some of my favorite people were online friends before they were friends IRL (in real life).

41. The most expensive thing I’ve ever bought myself (besides my cars) was an SLR camera. It was my baby. In late 2008, it went all wonky on me. I’m still in mourning. I would still be using it right now even though it isn’t digital. Sometimes when I look at the photos I take now, compared to what I used to be able to do, I wanna cry. I think it’s beyond repair.

45. I love the movie P.S. I Love You. Gerard Butler’s character in that movie is kind of my dream man. Except for the part where he dies. And my dream man is a Christian. But other than that? Totally my dream man.

46. Sometimes I watch way too much “reality” TV.

47. Hollywood annoys me. The entertainment industry, not the place itself.

51. I’m a Winnie the Pooh fan. As in A.A. Milne’s version of Winnie the Pooh. Terribly sarcastic and awesome. When I find my Pooh books, I’ll come back and add one of my favorite pieces of dialogue. So funny!

52. Martina McBride and Lee Ann Womack are my all time favorite country singers followed closely by Keith Urban.

53. I saw LAW (Lee Ann Womack) live in D.C. at an event put on by Lifetime Television. It was an event to honor organizations that combat violence against women. And I happened to work for a human rights organization that did just that (and was honored by them). Alanis Morrissette & Big & Rich (by taped performance) also appeared. This performance by LAW confirmed why she’s one of my all time favorites.

54. Sometimes, I really miss D.C.

55. And then I wash my mouth out with soap for missing that town.

56. I simply adore Don Henley. Adore. If you read the lyrics of his CD “Inside Job” you would understand. Okay, maybe you wouldn’t. But whatever dude. He’s awesome.

59. I’m a very sappy person. I cry, without fail, watching shows like Extreme Home Makeover (I typed that originally as homemaker. Extreme Homemaker – ha!), or when I see homecoming signs for returning Marines and Sailors. I even cry at commercials.

60. I have a crazy dog named Abby.

61. I adore the Carolina Panthers and my dream job is to work on their social media team.

62. I have really enjoyed living in the south.

63. I have loved. I have lost. In the long run, I’m thankful for what I’ve gained/learned because of the losses.

64. I have a bit of a crush on the writers of the television show LOST.

65. I hope the writers have something in the works for after LOST comes to an end in 2010.

66. This 100 random things, thing is excruciating.

67. My Grandma Avalos got me hooked on soap operas when I was a kid (daytime & shows like Dallas & Falcon Crest). Her favorite, which became my favorite, was Santa Barbara.

68. I wrote number 67 more than an hour ago. I have no idea what to say now.

69. I used to have a theory that you could play Seven Degrees of Santa Barbara (see #67) like you could play Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon. When I was younger, I used to see someone on a TV show and say something like, “Oh that’s weird.” And my mom would say, “What? Were they on Santa Barbara?” And I would say, “Yep.”